Image from Getstalttheory.com retrieved on 1/15/2014
My name is Dr. Max Wertheimer. I have been interested in philosophy for as long as I can remember, it all started when I received one of Baruch Spinoza's books as a gift. I come from a family who places a high value on education, so I was able to attend advanced schools starting at the age of five. I graduated from the University of Wurzburg with a doctorate degree in philosophy.
It was at a train station that I began to notice how flashes of light gave the perception of movement. I watched train lights all day. This influenced my study of perception. I am proud to have discovered the phi phenomenon. My discoveries quickly grew, and my partners and I came up with the Gestalt theory. The idea that the brain works holistically. I published my findings in academic journals that have influenced many philosophers today.
I served my country in World War 1 as an army captain. Soon after the war ended, I saw that the government in Germany was quickly changing. I did not believe that my Jewish heritage would be tolerated under the new regime, so I left Germany. In 1933, I began my work as a professor in The New School for Social Research in New York City. I remained here until my death in 1943. I can say that with my help, The New School become one of the best psychological research programs in the country.
Everyone has probably seen pictures like this:
Both images from illusions.org retrieved on 1/20/2014
These photos are optical illusions, what is seen in the photo varies from person to person, some photos may even look like they are moving. Well, it is thanks to my research that scientists now understand these optical illusions. Your brain looks at these images as a whole, but your eyes process them differently, that is the trick behind optical illusions.
One of my proudest achievements was the discovery of the 'phi phenomenon.' This is the idea that flashes in light tricks the human mind into seeing movement! An example is something like these dots, they appear to be moving, however it is just a simple flash of light.
Image from Getstalttheory.com retrieved on 1/15/2014
My name is Dr. Max Wertheimer. I have been interested in philosophy for as long as I can remember, it all started when I received one of Baruch Spinoza's books as a gift. I come from a family who places a high value on education, so I was able to attend advanced schools starting at the age of five. I graduated from the University of Wurzburg with a doctorate degree in philosophy.
It was at a train station that I began to notice how flashes of light gave the perception of movement. I watched train lights all day. This influenced my study of perception. I am proud to have discovered the phi phenomenon. My discoveries quickly grew, and my partners and I came up with the Gestalt theory. The idea that the brain works holistically. I published my findings in academic journals that have influenced many philosophers today.
I served my country in World War 1 as an army captain. Soon after the war ended, I saw that the government in Germany was quickly changing. I did not believe that my Jewish heritage would be tolerated under the new regime, so I left Germany. In 1933, I began my work as a professor in The New School for Social Research in New York City. I remained here until my death in 1943. I can say that with my help, The New School become one of the best psychological research programs in the country.
Everyone has probably seen pictures like this:
Both images from illusions.org retrieved on 1/20/2014
These photos are optical illusions, what is seen in the photo varies from person to person, some photos may even look like they are moving. Well, it is thanks to my research that scientists now understand these optical illusions. Your brain looks at these images as a whole, but your eyes process them differently, that is the trick behind optical illusions.
One of my proudest achievements was the discovery of the 'phi phenomenon.' This is the idea that flashes in light tricks the human mind into seeing movement! An example is something like these dots, they appear to be moving, however it is just a simple flash of light.
http://prezi.com/wgfrkitsbii_/max-wertheimer/
Here is a link to my Prezi about Wertheimer
I also found these two websites extremely helpful in answering questions I had about this theorist.
http://www.scholarpedia.org/article/Gestalt_principles
http://www.lifecircles-inc.com/Learningtheories/gestalt/wertheimer.html
Image from illusions.org retrieved on 1/21/2014
Check out this website for more information about my studies:
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/455763/phi-phenomenon
Helpful Information:
http://psychology.about.com/od/profilesmz/p/max-wertheimer.htm
http://www.gestalttheory.com/maxwertheimer/
http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/gestalt.html
Here is a link to a journal posted about my studies, that was reviewed by college students:
Wertheimer, Max (01/01/1984). "Gestalt Theory". Social research (0037-783X), 51 (1), p. 305.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1292395/?tool=pmcentrez&report=abstract
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